


Cup or Bowl?

by brunchywrites



Series: Brotherly Moments [1]
Category: DC Animated Universe
Genre: Brotherly Affection, Brotherly Bonding, Brothers, Family Feels, Let Damian Rest, Other, They are family yo, dc, dick and damian aka the best bros, family stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-15
Updated: 2018-01-15
Packaged: 2019-03-05 07:13:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13382820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brunchywrites/pseuds/brunchywrites
Summary: “Grayson, there is a handle on it. It’s definitely a cup!” Damian yells in the kitchen, glad that Pennyworth isn’t there to tell him to keep his voice down. It’s five in the morning, all he wanted to do was make a cup of tea and get ready for bed. Grayson always ranted about keeping up a good sleeping schedule but how can Damian do that if the man insists on arguing at this hour?





	Cup or Bowl?

“Grayson, there is a handle on it. It’s definitely a cup!” Damian yells in the kitchen, glad that Pennyworth isn’t there to tell him to keep his voice down. It’s five in the morning, all he wanted to do was make a cup of tea and get ready for bed. Grayson always ranted about keeping up a good sleeping schedule but how can Damian do that if the man insists on arguing at this hour?

 

“No way, Dami- look at it. It’s nearly the size of your head and-”    
  
“Perfect for tea sipping, thank you for your concern. Now leave me and my  _ cup _ be.” He tries to sound threatening, turning his back on his brother as he goes into the cabinet in search of the new chamomile tea that Gordon brought them as a gift when she visited last. His fingers grip the sides of the box and he pulls it down with ease.    
  
“Are you just going to stare at me while I make my tea? Or are you going to shower like a normal person?” Damian hisses, watching as Grayson folds his arms over his chest and leans against the counter. It annoys him because they’re both still in costume and Damian can’t tell  how tired his brother is. He also hopes that Grayson can’t see how tired Damian himself is. He hates when he gets like this, when he exhausts his own energy. Sleep has been harder to get lately and he refuses to talk about it. Not with Grayson, not with anybody but himself.    
  
Eventually, he supposes he will have to crash, he vaguely remembers something similar happening to Todd one night. Unfortunately Damian heard through Drake that Todd had been pulling several all-nighters in a row to solve a case. Which seemed stupid at the time, Damian never took it that the Red Hood was a fool. He respects his older brother figure a little more than others, after they have similar morals. It felt odd watching Todd walk through the manor doors and suddenly hit the floor before he got three steps onto the rug.   
  
Damian wasn’t sure he’d ever seen Todd sleep until then, it all happened quickly. If it happened to Todd then surely it would happen to Damian, right? He’d lost count of how many days and nights he has gone without sleep so far. Currently, he was guessing three, perhaps four. Time eventually blends into itself.     
  
A pair of fingers snap in front of his face and it takes every ounce of his will not to snap those fingers are. He resolves to locking his hands around the cup and scowling at his older brother.    
  
“That was not necessary,” he fills the cup with water from the sink. Just for an excuse to not look at the other.    
  
“I’m waiting for you to admit it’s a bowl. I’m pretty sure it's for soup, and the handle is for taking it in and out of the microwave,” his voice is calm and taunting and before Damian can retaliate, Grayson has his chin atop his head.    
  
“You smell like debris, go take a shower,” Damian tries to swat his brother away again. But Grayson is more stubborn, he wraps his arms around Damian.    
  
“Admit it’s a bowl and I will.” He hums. Damian hates when Grayson gets this affectionate, albeit according to everyone he knew- Grayson was always very touchy feely. At first Damian thought it was disgraceful. The man showed his emotions openly, or so Damian had thought at first. He knew better now.    
  
Damian smirks and looks up at his brother, fingers finding the tea bag and dumping it into the cup.    
  
“Never, it has a handle. It’s a cup. Now release me so I can make my tea, your behavior is ridiculous tonight. Did you get thrown into a wall too hard?” The insult leaves his lips a little too easily and for a split second he regrets saying it. Grayson’s grin becomes wide and taunting.    
  
“Nope, I feel like my behavior is justified. When were you going to tell me you haven’t been sleeping?”   
  
Damian twitches in annoyance, huffing out a, “Tt,” in his brother’s direction as he places the mug into the microwave for a minute. He likes his tea hot, that way he can drink it and the flavor keeps.    
  
“Are you gonna answer, Dami?” Grayson presses further. Damian doesn’t like when Grayson gets like this. When he becomes more like a guardian than an older brother. He wonders if this was how he felt when he was Robin. Knowing father, his guess was probably correct. Father hid his worry a lot better than anyone Damian knew, but when it slipped out it was obvious.    
  
Grayson on the other hand could worry about someone in silence until he deems it necessary to speak up. He waits and sees if he needs to step in first. Something Damian will always be grateful for. But right now he’s tired, and his thoughts have been getting foggier. He wants to be left alone.    
  
Damian sighs and the microwave beeps shortly afterwards, he takes the cup out and blows off the steam coming from it. He turns around and looks at Grayson.    
  
“What makes you think I haven’t been sleeping?”    
  
Grayson smiles and holds up Damian’s mask, waving it around a few times. Damian’s eyes widen, he must’ve missed when his brother pulled it off his face. How?    
  
“I got this off your face when you were zenned out. You’re reflexes are normally incredible. That and your dark circles tattle on you.”    
  
“You’re one to talk,” Damian shoots back, sipping from his cup. “I know you don’t sleep much either. Why don’t we talk about that?”    
  
“Not gonna happen little bird,” Grayson ruffles Damian’s hair and he pulls his brother’s hand away from him. He doesn’t like being treated like a child, but Grayson insists on treating him so. Damian’s learned to tolerate it more and sometimes welcome it. It’s not that he likes having someone to lean on, he’s very independent! But Grayson is so open, and doesn’t patronize him. He doesn’t treat him how others do. Grayson allows Damian room to learn, and restrain himself. Father was a great mentor, horribly annoying and pushy but he taught Damian a lot about fighting.    
  
But Grayson is far superior to Damian. He doesn’t get nearly as angry as father does, and actually.. Where was he going with his thinking?   
  
Damian sighs and rolls his eyes, sipping from his cup again before he decides to be honest.    
  
“I haven’t been able to sleep, and I don’t know why. My brain just doesn’t want to rest, lately.”    
  
“Do you know how long it’s been since you last slept?” Grayson asks, voice soft and reassuring. This is what Damian likes about him. He doesn’t get so angry first, and Damian wishes he had that same ability. He just doesn’t though, he supposes it may come with time though. Maybe he could ask Grayson to teach him how to be that way. It’s save him a lot of trouble.    
  
“Three or four days, I can’t remember. It’s like the days are all just one big day,” he says over the lip of his cup.    
  
His brother nods slightly and drums his finger against the marble of the counter, “Hm, that’s not good. I get what you mean though, do you remember when Jason got three steps into the manor and passed out.”    
  
“How could I forget?”   
  
“He went five days without sleep trying to solve a case, of course he has insomnia generally. Kind of runs in the family, but I don’t want the same thing happening to you. It’s not healthy. Would you like to try medicine for it?”    
  
Damian mulls it over in his mind, he could wait for sleep to naturally take him. He guesses it won’t be that bad, but when Grayson spoke about it he sounded worried. Maybe that wasn’t wise. He scratches his chin and nods slowly, the medicine could be the best option.    
  
“Sure.”   
  
Grayson nods and walks past Damian, going into one of the higher cabinets and searching through a few clinking bottles of pills. He looks down at Damian and flashes one of his blinding smiles as he pulls out one of the bottles.    
  
“Alright, some info here little bird,” Damian cringes at the nickname but listens anyways, “It’s gonna have you out for a while and it starts working after about twenty minutes. After you take it I want you to get out of the suit and start getting ready for bed. Okay?” He screws the cap off and hands Damian one of the white capsules.    
  
“Okay, how will I feel when it comes into effect?” Damian takes another sip of tea and pops the pill in before Grayson answers him.    
  
“You’ll get seriously drowsy and fuzzy headed. It makes it easier to fall asleep, it’s not a knock out drug.”     
  
“Good,” Damian pours the rest of his tea into the drain and rinses out the cup quietly. He turns it around a few times and that’s when he notices that the cup in fact says  _ Soup _ in a ridiculous font. He pretends to not see it though and sets it back into the cabinet. “That means you have time to go shower. You smell like battle and its unsatisfactory to stay in a dirty suit.”    
  
Grayson sighs dramatically, “Whatever you say, now you get ready for bed. I won’t sleep until you do.” Damian tries not to freeze, instead he rolls his eyes and leaves the kitchen entirely so that he can go up into his room and change clothes. He supposes his Robin costume needs a wash so he doesn’t bother with the cave.    
  
His room is invitingly minimal when he walks in, when he flicks the light on he sees that Titus is curled up at the foot of his bed. The great dane perks up at Damian’s entry and he can’t fight the smile off his face as he strips his costume off and changes into much more comfortable clothes.    
  
He hears the shower turn on through the walls and smirks in satisfaction. At least Grayson listens to him. It’s one of his favorite things about his brother. He’s willing to listen no matter what. Maybe it’s a big brother thing, he isn’t quite sure.    
  
Damian walks over to his bed and pets Titus behind his ears, scratching in just the right spot that he knows the dog likes. He sits next to him and the dog practically melts into his lap, laying down with his belly up. Dogs are easier to understand than people. They are simple and enjoy simple affection so long as they’re cared for. Damian enjoys animals, a lot more than he guesses a lot of people do.    
  
The water shuts off and Damian looks at his door, carefully getting up and walking out into the hallway. He needs to at least tell his brother goodnight.    
  
When he takes a few more steps the sudden feeling of drowsiness crashes into him like a train. Everything feels like he’s walking through a cloud if clouds were tangible. Like a thick fog around him. Had it been twenty minutes already?    
  
Grayson walks out of the bathroom in flannel pants and a nasa sweatshirt that Damian knows is several years old and fading. His brother smiles at him and walks over.    
  
“Ready to go to bed?” He out stretches his arms towards Damian and gets closer. Before Damian registers it his brother is hugging him and Damian lets himself lean forward into the embrace. He tells himself it's for the other’s sake. If Damian did not tell Grayson goodnight then the man would worry too much.     
  
“It really hits you,” Damian murmurs, hardly feeling it or really caring when Grayson picks him up and starts walking down the hallway, back to his bedroom.    
  
“The sleeping medication? Yeah, Bruce used to give it to me when I couldn’t sleep. It works though, it’s just a push into the right sleeping direction.” He presses his face against Damian’s cheek and presses against him. It’s comforting and more welcome than Damian would normally allow.    
  
Before he realizes it he’s laying down in bed and Grayson is tucking him in like a child. But Damian can’t find it in him to argue about it. He’s too tired and Titus is already curling up against his back and he feels so warm.    
  
“Goodnight, Grayson.” Damian whispers, mostly into his pillow.    
  
He feels his brother’s hand in his hair, ruffling it once more. It’s still a bit cold from the shower, and he swears he can hear Grayson smiling.    
  
“Goodnight, Dami. Sleep well, you know where to find me in the morning.” His light clicks off and the door shuts and for the first time in a while, Damian falls asleep without fighting to. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading this short lil fic! There's gonna be more in the future since its a series! Follow my new art/writing tumblr if you wanna see updates and stuff. (I also write headcanons sometimes!!!)
> 
> https://brunchyarts.tumblr.com/


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